Tackling the ‘y,’ and the ‘k’ too

Jeff Benson

Today is “Indian Day” in Edie Archibald’s kindergarten class at

Harbor View Elementary School in Corona del Mar, where students will

dress in Native American clothing, make clay pots, grind corn and

write stories.

But it took a lot of preparation to get there. On Monday,

Archibald’s eight petite pilgrims made “stone soup” with vegetables

-- drawing their inspiration from a book they read in class -- and

constructed macaroni necklaces.

Students took turns adding chopped celery, carrots, onions and

other veggies to two pots. Today they’ll add the potatoes, which look

similar to the stones found in the book, Archibald said.

The macaroni necklace project was designed to be a basic math

exercise, Archibald said. She hoped they’d pick up on repeating color

patterns while making their necklaces.

“I did a red and green one,” 5-year-old Bianca Hawlish said,

referring to her macaroni necklace. “I can’t wait until my mom sees

it.”

Students later drew their families with crayons, because they’re

people they can be thankful for, Archibald said.

“I want you to think about who is in your family -- your mom, your

dad, your brother,” Archibald told them. “Some people can even draw

their aunts and uncles, and you can write about all the pets you

have, too.”

Students received one of their first writing lessons as a result

of the exercise, writing what they’re thankful for and learning how

to properly construct a “y” and a “k,” among other letters.

“The ‘k’ is one we haven’t learned yet,” Archibald said. “Straight

line down, then little arms up and little arms down. That’s a ‘k’.”

The exercise was especially beneficial for Brendan Mulcahy, whose

“l” in the word “thankful” fell a bit short. Archibald quickly

corrected Brendan, and he thanked her for helping him.

“I like writing because it’s good for your hand,” said Brendan, 5.

“I’m getting it.”

Archibald said she was pleased with the way her students picked up

on each letter so easily and how they read their sentences to the

class.

Many of the students received small, green, paper turkeys for

their achievements, which can be cashed in for prizes at the end of

the year, Archibald said.